{"id":1385,"date":"2020-06-14T20:25:38","date_gmt":"2020-06-14T20:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/?page_id=1385"},"modified":"2025-08-22T17:32:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T17:32:05","slug":"senate-bylaws-handbook","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/senate-bylaws-handbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Bylaws & Handbook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faculty Senate Handbook<\/h1>\n

If you are a senator (or if you are interested in learning more about the Senate and how senators serve), you can take a peek at the current 2023- 2024 Faculty Senate Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Bylaws\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

Contents – Updated August 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n

Article I – <\/span>Senate<\/span> Name<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article II \u2013 Purpose<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article III \u2013 Rights of Full-Time Faculty Related to the Senate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article IV \u2013 Senate Membership<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Article V \u2013 Officers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article VI \u2013 Elections<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article VII \u2013 Meetings<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article VIII \u2013 Senate Committees<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Article IX \u2013 Amendments<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n

Article I \u2013 Senate Name<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

The name of the organization shall be the Austin Community College Full-Time Faculty Senate, hereafter referred to as the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

Article II \u2013 Purpose<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

The purpose of the Senate is to advise the Chancellor, facilitate faculty participation in policy making at ACC and to communicate between and among the full-time faculty and other ACC constituencies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

Article III \u2013 Rights of Full-Time Faculty Related to the Senate<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Every full-time faculty member shall have the right to:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Participate in the nominating process for the President-Elect and other Senators;<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Vote for the President-Elect and other Senators;<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Vote on proposed changes to the Senate Bylaws;<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Participate in the process through which the Senate comments on, or responds to, issues related to Board Policy, Administrative Rules, Guidelines and Procedures and other ACC governance issues<\/span>;<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

5. Receive the minutes of Senate meetings within two weeks after meetings, and receive agendas of Senate meetings at least seven days prior to Senate meetings, as will conform to state law;<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Communicate ideas and opinions to Senators and to the officers on issues of concern to the faculty and to the Senate;<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Propose items for the Senate agenda;<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Speak to the Senate on issues as described in Article VII, Meetings;<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Serve on shared governance councils, committees, workgroups, and all other collaborative decision-making bodies, with appointments limited by space availability and made in accordance with the relevant clauses of Article VIII.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Attend publicly broadcasted Senate Meetings<\/p>\n

Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

Article IV \u2013 Senate Membership<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

Section 1: Composition of the Senate<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. The membership of the Senate shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, an Immediate Past President, a Secretary and thirty-six additional full-time faculty members. If the person elected as President is not appointed as a Senator, they will serve as an at-large member and Special Officer of the Senate and the Senate will temporarily have 41 members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The additional full-time faculty members will be allocated as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

a) Each campus will have one slot allocated to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

b) Each division of the college, organized under a dean, and based on a field of study (e.g., Liberal Arts: Humanities and Communications, Health Sciences, etc.) will have two slots allocated to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

c)\u00a0 Student Affairs and Library Services will each have two slots allocated to be filled by a member of their respective full-time faculties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

d)\u00a0 One slot will be filled by a full-time faculty member who teaches predominately at one of more local high schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

e)\u00a0 Two at-large Senators who are elected to represent the entire college. <\/span><\/p>\n

f) Any slot designated above (Clauses 2a-2d), for which there is no nominee, will be converted to an at-large slot, to be filled for the year during the regular election.<\/span><\/p>\n

g)\u00a0 There will be exactly enough at-large slots to, when added to the slots allocated in accordance with a-c immediately above, make for 36 slots.<\/span><\/p>\n

h) If the person elected to be the incoming President-Elect is not currently a Senator, they shall immediately become a Senator for the remainder of the current year, thus increasing the number of Senators to 37 for the remainder of the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. In compliance with Texas Education Code 51.3522, the Senate body will be composed of elected and appointed Senators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. The Auditing and Elections Committee shall administer the process of electing Senators in accordance with Article VI below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Section 2: Eligibility to Represent a Constituency<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Members of the full-time faculty who will be teaching for at least half of their required LEH and\/or student contact hours and who are in permanent staffing table positions are eligible to represent any one of three constituencies: the entire full-time faculty, their home campus or their College division. Additionally, a full-time faculty member who teaches predominately at one or more local high schools is eligible to represent the faculty who teach dual-credit sections.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Every member of the full-time faculty who will be teaching for at least half of their required LEH and\/or student contact hours and who are in permanent staffing table positions is eligible to serve as the President-Elect or to fill an at-large Senate position and thus to serve the entire full-time faculty as their constituency.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Every member of the full-time faculty who will be teaching for at least half of their required LEH and\/or student contact hours and who are in permanent staffing table positions may hold a Senate position representing a home campus (whose full-time faculty constitute this Senator\u2019s constituency).<\/span><\/p>\n

a) A full-time faculty member\u2019s campus designation is determined by the College\u2019s Human Resources records.<\/span><\/p>\n

b) For full-time faculty with no campus designation per Human Resources records, the home campus shall be the campus at which they are assigned to teach the majority of their courses in the current academic year.<\/span><\/p>\n

c) For full-time faculty assigned to a non-campus teaching site, the designated campus shall be the campus to which the site is administratively related, if applicable.<\/span><\/p>\n

d) If none of the above campus designation conditions applies, the Senate shall determine a faculty member\u2019s campus designation.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Every member of the full-time faculty who will be teaching for at least half of their required LEH and\/or student contact hours and who are in permanent staffing table positions may hold a Senate position representing a division of ACC (whose full-time faculty constitute this Senator\u2019s constituency). For the purposes of Senate composition, the current ACC divisions include the eight Dean divisions of instruction, Library Services, and Student Affairs (the division within which full-time faculty members employed as counselors serve). Changes in the number of Dean divisions of instruction to any number between 5 and 12 shall not require an amendment to these bylaws. Such a change will not result in a change in the number of Senators; rather, the number of at-large Senators will have an off-setting change in accordance with Section 1, Clause 2d, above.<\/span><\/p>\n

a) A faculty member whose entire service as full-time faculty falls within the Dean divisions of instruction will be considered a member of the division in which they teach the most LEH (whose full-time faculty constitute this Senator\u2019s constituency).<\/span><\/p>\n

b) A faculty member whose entire service as full-time faculty is within Library Services will be considered a member of Library Services (whose full-time faculty constitute this Senator\u2019s constituency).<\/span><\/p>\n

c) A faculty member whose entire service as full-time faculty is within Student Affairs will be considered a member of Student Affairs (whose full-time faculty constitute this Senator\u2019s constituency).<\/span><\/p>\n

d) Any faculty member whose division membership is not conclusively resolved by the above clause a-c will be assigned to a division by the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Any member of the full-time faculty who teaches predominately at one or more local high schools may hold the Senate position representing the faculty who teach dual-credit sections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

Section 3: Terms of Service<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. For all appointed positions outside of the President-Elect, the Senate will recommend a maximum service of two years.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    a. An Elected Senator shall be elected for a term of two years. Elected Senators will have a two year break between terms of service.<\/p>\n

    b. Appointed Senators may serve for up to six years, although they will need to be reappointed annually and may serve for a recommended two year term. After their term ends, Appointed Senators will have a two year break between terms of service.<\/p>\n

    c. Terms begin on August 16 following a regular election and end on August 15 of the second year of service.<\/p>\n

    d. The Senate will recommend that the Chancellor appoint the President for three years:<\/p>\n

    i. Year one as President-Elect<\/p>\n

    ii. Year two as President<\/p>\n

    iii. Year three as Immediate Past President<\/p>\n

    iv.\u00a0 After the third year,\u00a0 the President will take a two year break before serving on the Senate.<\/p>\n

    e. Appointed Secretaries will serve for one year.<\/p>\n

    Section 4: Senators\u2019 Rights and Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    In addition to the rights of a full-time faculty member, every Senator shall have the right and\/or responsibility to:<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Attend all meetings of the Senate, or to send a full-time faculty member from their constituency as an alternate (in accordance with Section 7, below);<\/span><\/p>\n

    2, Participate in discussions and debate in the Senate;<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Make decisions in the best interests of the faculty, the students, and the College;<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Serve as a liaison between full-time faculty and the Senate;<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Communicate to the Senate the concerns of faculty constituents;<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. Make recommendations to the Senate President for committee appointments;<\/span><\/p>\n

    7. Serve on committees as assigned by the Senate President;<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 5: Removal<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    1. A Senator shall be removed from office if:<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) The Senator is neither in attendance nor represented by a proper alternate for three meetings during an academic year;, or<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) The Senator has been removed from a Senate committee or a shared governance committee in accordance with Article VIII, Section 1, Clause 3, Article VIII, Section 2, Clause 2d, or Article V, Section 2, President\u2019s Responsibilities Clause 5a of these bylaws;, or<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) After due process, a two-thirds majority of the voting full-time faculty represented by that Senator voted for the Senator\u2019s removal in a recall election. A recall election is initiated by a petition signed by twenty percent of the full-time faculty members represented by that Senator. Upon receiving a petition, the President shall call a meeting of all full-time faculty represented by that Senator. Following this meeting, if the removal petition has not been withdrawn, a recall election will be conducted by the Auditing and Elections Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    d)The Senate will forward the results to the Chancellor with a recommendation for removal.<\/p>\n

    2. If a Senator is removed from office, that Senator is also automatically removed from<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) any Senate office that they hold,<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) any ACC committee on which they represent the faculty, and<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) any committee of the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 6: Replacement<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    If a Senate position becomes vacant after the start of the Senate term, the position shall be filled temporarily by the Senate president.\u00a0 A permanent replacement shall be selected at the next special election or regular election.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 7: Alternate<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    A Senator who must miss a Senate meeting may send an alternate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    1. The alternate must be a member of the same constituency group represented by the Senator.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. The alternate must submit written or electronic authorization from the Senator to the Senate Parliamentarian, Secretary and President.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. The alternate counts towards a quorum and has all the rights and responsibilities of a Senator for the duration of that meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Article V \u2013 Officers<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

    Section 1. Composition<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    1. The officers of the Senate are the following: President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer, and Communications Officer. Officers of the Senate are included in all references to Senators in these bylaws except where the context or a specific clause reveals otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. No person may hold more than one office simultaneously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. The President-Elect shall be elected by a vote of the entire full-time faculty for a one-year term to be followed by a one-year term as President and a one-year term as Immediate Past President.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. The Secretary shall be elected by a vote of the entire full-time faculty for a one-year term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Parliamentarian, Treasurer, and Communications Officer shall be elected for a one-year term by the Senate from members of the Senate at the first Senate meeting of the new Senate term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 2: Duties<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    1. Senate officers continue as representatives of their constituency while also fulfilling their officer duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Senate officers shall meet with College administrators on a regularly scheduled basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Senate officers may speak for the Senate in meetings with administrators and\/or Board Members, within the constraints of any relevant Senate resolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Senate officers are to report to the Senate members the proceedings of any consultations, meetings, or conferences, either scheduled or impromptu, that they attend as representatives of the Senate, before or at the next regularly scheduled meeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Senate officers shall make all requested Senate documents (including financial statements, meeting agendas and minutes, etc.) available to the Auditing and Elections Committee within seventy-two hours of receipt of a written request from the chairperson of the Auditing and Elections Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. Senate officers shall preside over Senate meetings in accordance with Article VII, Section 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7. Senate officers shall perform the duties of their office as enumerated below:<\/span><\/p>\n

    President<\/b>\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. To consult with Senate officers concerning Senate business and meeting agendas.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To schedule regular and special Senate meetings and to conduct them when available.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To authenticate, by signature if necessary, all acts, orders and proceedings of the Senate, and to sign any documents necessary to conduct Senate business.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. To serve as mentor to the President-Elect.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. To fill seats on College-wide councils, committees, task forces, etc. upon request by College administrators and as approved by a majority of the other Senate officers. When time permits and circumstances warrant, the President will seek recommendations for representatives from the Committee on Faculty Participation and Senators generally as well as self-nominations from members of the full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) A representative of the full-time faculty appointed to such a committee shall be removed from the committee if that representative\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    i.\u00a0 is neither in attendance nor represented by a proper alternate for three meetings during an academic year, or<\/span><\/p>\n

    ii.\u00a0 is replaced on the committee by the president with the support of two-thirds of the Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. To create ad hoc Senate committees, as warranted, with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    7. To appoint members to ad hoc committees as approved by a majority of the other Senate officers. When time permits and circumstances warrant, the President will seek recommendations for representatives from the Committee on Faculty Participation and Senators generally as well as self-nominations from members of the full-time faculty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    8. To fill vacancies that arise on standing Senate committees after their membership is established in accordance with Article VIII, Section 1, Clause 2c, and as approved by a majority of the other Senate officers. When time permits and circumstances warrant, the President will seek recommendations for representatives from the Committee on Faculty Participation and Senators generally as well as self-nominations from members of the full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

    9. To serve as an ex officio member of all Senate committees except the Nominating Committee and the Auditing and Elections Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    10. To serve as Senate liaison to College administration and Board of Trustees.<\/span><\/p>\n

    11. To represent the full-time faculty and act as its spokesperson to media.<\/span><\/p>\n

    12. To notify the Senate and the full-time faculty about new postings on the Senate\u2019s website, including agendas, minutes, relevant reports, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

    12. To communicate in a timely manner, via e-mail, new information pertinent to full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

    14. To assure that all Senate documents are provided to the Auditing and Elections Committee in accordance with Section 2, Clause 4, above.<\/span><\/p>\n

    15. To ensure that Senate meetings with quorum align with legislative requirements, including:<\/p>\n

    a. An agenda posted at least seven days in advance of the meeting.<\/p>\n

    b. Curriculum proposals posted at least seven days in advance of the meeting.<\/p>\n

    c. Availability for public viewing.<\/p>\n

    Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

    President-Elect<\/b>\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. <\/span>To become President at the completion of the term of the President, including if the President\u2019s term ends prematurely for whatever reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To conduct the regular business of the Senate for the President if the President is absent or otherwise cannot.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To temporarily assume the authority of the President when all of the following conditions are met:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) The President is unavailable. The President-Elect has tried in good faith to contact the President, but has been unsuccessful.<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) In judgment of the President-Elect, failure to act in a timely manner (prior to the availability of the President) will be detrimental to ACC or some portion of its constituency.<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) At least one officer contacted, and a majority of officers contacted, agree that the President-Elect should assume this authority (which is not a requirement that they agree with how the President-Elect intends to exercise that authority).<\/span><\/p>\n

    d) This authority will last only until the President has been made aware of the circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. To chair the Committee on Faculty Participation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Immediate Past President<\/b>\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. <\/span>To share their experience and insight to<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) assist the President and Senate officers generally,<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) support newly elected Senators, and<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) promote continuity within the Senate leader and the Senate as a body.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To help to mentor the President-Elect.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To assist the President with assigned duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Secretary\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. <\/span>To create and maintain records of all proceedings of the Senate that<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) accurately represent the Senate proceedings<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) include the meeting date and time, and the members and alternates present,<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) are prepared and corrected according to standard parliamentary procedure, and<\/span><\/p>\n

    d) are filed and posted to the Senate\u2019s website within two weeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To maintain complete rolls of the membership of the Senate and of the full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To maintain a single, unified record of Senator attendance for all meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. To report to the President if a Senator has missed three meetings within one academic year without being represented by a proper alternate, but only after gaining confirmation of this from the Parliamentarian.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. To provide all documents maintained by the Secretary to the Auditing and Elections Committee in accordance with Section 2, Clause 4, above.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Parliamentarian\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. To ensure, at the beginning of the term, that a copy of <\/span>The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure,<\/span><\/i> by Alice Sturgis, (latest edition) is available for all new officers, and that a copy is present at all Senate meetings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To advise the presiding officer and other Senators present on all questions of parliamentary procedure that arise during meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To assist the presiding officer in maintaining order during meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. To inform the presiding officer when time has expired for discussion of agenda items.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. To determine whether a quorum is present at Senate meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. To confirm with the Secretary that a Senator has missed three meetings within one academic year without being represented by a proper alternate, prior to the Secretary so reporting to the President.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Treasurer\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    1. <\/span>To maintain all of the Faculty Senate\u2019s financial records.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. To assist in the coordination of raising scholarship funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. To assist in the coordination of Faculty Emergency Funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. To receive and disburse funds, with the President\u2019s approval.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. To make financial reports to the Senate as necessary, but no less than once each semester.<\/span><\/p>\n

    6. To provide all documents and financial records maintained by the Treasurer to the Auditing and Elections Committee in accordance with Section 2, Clause 4, above.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Communications Officer\u2019s Responsibilities<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

    To coordinate the dissemination of information for the Faculty Senate, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) outreach\/retention<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) website maintenance<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) marketing<\/span><\/p>\n

    d) surveys and polls<\/span><\/p>\n

    Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Section 3: Removal<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    1. <\/span>The President, Immediate Past President, or President-Elect may be removed from office according to the following procedure:<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) A petition containing the signatures of five Senators (representing at least four constituencies), asking for the question of whether to remove this Senate officer from their office to be placed on the agenda of the next Senate meeting, shall be given to the Secretary of the Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) The Secretary shall add this item to the written agenda of the next Senate meeting to be held at least two weeks subsequent to receipt of the petition.<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) The Secretary shall preside over the portion of the Senate meeting during which this question is addressed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    d) If a two-thirds majority of Senators vote to remove this Senate officer from their office, the Senate officer is immediately removed from that office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. The Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer or Communications Officer may be removed from office according to the following procedure:<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) A petition containing the signatures of five Senators (representing at least four constituencies), asking for the question of whether to remove this Senate officer from their office to be placed on the agenda of the next Senate meeting, shall be given to the President.<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) The President shall place the item on the written agenda of the next Senate meeting to be held at least two weeks subsequent to receipt of the petition.<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) If a two-thirds majority of Senators vote to remove this Senate officer from their office, the Senate officer is immediately removed from that office.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Any Senate officer removed from office in accordance with these bylaws is also automatically removed from<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) the Senate,<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) any committee of the Senate, and<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) any ACC committee on which they represent the full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 4: Replacement<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    1. <\/span>Temporary Replacement<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) If the President takes leave from the College for one semester or less, the President-Elect becomes Acting President until the President returns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    i.\u00a0 If the President-Elect is currently on leave from the college, the Immediate Past President becomes Acting President until the President returns.<\/span><\/p>\n

    ii.\u00a0 If both the President-Elect and the Immediate Past President are currently on leave from the college, the position of Acting President will devolve to the Secretary or, if unavailable, the Treasurer, or, if unavailable, the Parliamentarian or, if unavailable, the Communications Officer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) If the Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer, or Communications Officer take leave from the College for one semester or less, the President shall select a temporary replacement from the Senate membership.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Permanent Replacement<\/span><\/p>\n

    a) If the President takes leave from the College for more than one semester, resigns, or is removed from office, the President-Elect becomes President. If there are six months or fewer of the term of the President remaining, the President-Elect shall serve the remainder of that term and continue to serve the next entire term as President.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    i.\u00a0 If the President-Elect is currently on leave from the college for one semester or less, the Immediate Past President becomes Acting President until the President-Elect returns, at which point the President-Elect shall become President in accordance with the first paragraph of this clause.<\/span><\/p>\n

    ii.\u00a0 If both the President-Elect and the Immediate Past President are currently on leave from the college for one semester or less, the position of Acting President will devolve to the Secretary or, if unavailable, the Treasurer, or, if unavailable, the Parliamentarian or, if unavailable, the Communications Officer until the President-Elect returns, at which point the President-Elect shall become President in accordance with the first paragraph of this clause.<\/span><\/p>\n

    b) If the President-Elect takes leave from the College\u00a0for more than one semester, resigns, assumes the office of President upon that office becoming vacant, or is removed from office, a special election shall be held to fill the position. If the person elected is currently a Senator, the Senate President shall appoint a temporary replacement to fill the vacated position.\u00a0 A permanent replacement shall be selected at the next special election or regular election.<\/span><\/p>\n

    c) If the Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer or Communications Officer takes leave from the College\u00a0for more than one semester, resigns or is removed from office, the Senate shall elect a replacement from the Senate membership to serve for the remainder of the term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

    Article VI \u2013 Elections<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

    1. <\/span>All elections of people to, or votes to remove people from, the Senate shall be conducted by the Auditing and Elections Committee in accordance with these bylaws, except that votes to remove a Senate officer from office, and thus from the Senate, shall be conducted in accordance with Article 5, Section 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. All elections of people to, or votes to remove people from, the Senate shall be conducted by electronic vote in accordance with the most recent relevant resolutions of the full Senate, except that votes to remove a Senate officer from office, and thus from the Senate, shall be conducted in accordance with Article 5, Section 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Section 1: Regular Elections\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Election Cycles<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      a. In compliance with Texas Education Code 51.3522, the Senate body will be composed of elected and appointed Senators.<\/p>\n

      i. Elections will be held annually.<\/p>\n

      ii. For appointed Senators, the election results will be sent to the Chancellor for appointment and will include the President, Secretary, and dean areas. The Chancellor will review the list of nominees and choose their appointees. To comply with Texas Education Code 51.3522, the appointments will be for one year; however, the Senate will recommend a term of two years, which will terminate on August 15 of the Senator’s second year of service, with the Chancellor’s consent.<\/p>\n

      2. Nominations:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) On the fourth Monday of January, the Nominating Committee shall solicit the entire full-time faculty for nominees for the Senate, including for the position of President-Elect and Secretary. This solicitation will include information as to how to submit a nomination electronically.<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) One may nominate oneself or another for any single position representing a constituency of which the nominee is a member, except that one may also be nominated for President-Elect in addition to any single Senate position.<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) No one may run for the Senate for more than a single position, except to run for President-Elect or Secretary in addition to any single Senate position. Anyone nominated for more than one position will be so informed by the Nominating Committee and will have to select for which position they wish to run, except insofar as their choice is restricted by clause \u201ce\u201d below.<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) All nominations must:<\/span><\/p>\n

      i.\u00a0 Be delivered to the Nominating Committee,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      ii.\u00a0 Identify both the nominee and the one making the nomination, and<\/span><\/p>\n

      iii.\u00a0 Identify the slot (constituency) for which the person is nominated.<\/span><\/p>\n

      e) Anyone nominated for an at-large slot will be moved to a slot for a narrower constituency of which they are a member if that constituency would otherwise have no candidate. An empty Area of Study slot has priority over an empty campus slot for such movement. If subsequently there is another nomination to that slot, the first nominee will be returned to the at-large slots.<\/span><\/p>\n

      f) Anyone nominated to a Senate position other than by themselves will be informed of their nomination by an email to their ACC email address, but they will be placed on the slate of nominees only if they affirm their interest in serving by return email.<\/span><\/p>\n

      g) The slate of candidates as of the Monday before spring break shall be emailed to the full-time faculty on or before the Friday before spring break.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      h) To fill blanks on the slate, or to contest for any position that already has a nominee, any additional nominations made through the\u00a0Friday\u00a0following the end of spring break shall be added to the slate of nominees.<\/span><\/p>\n

      i) If during the nomination period an Area of Study slot is unfilled and a nominee for another type of Senator, such as campus or at-large Senator, is qualified for that Area of Study slot, then the nominee shall be moved to an Area of Study slot, such that the two slots for the Area of Study are filled, then the nominee will be returned to their original slot.<\/p>\n

      2. Conducting Elections:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) A single ballot shall be prepared for all full-time faculty. This ballot will list each campus with its nominees, each division with its nominees, plus the college-wide nominees, including those for President-Elect, Secretary, and those for the at-large slots. Included among the campus-based slots will also be the slot for nominees who teach predominately at one or more local high schools. The ballot will include clear directions that faculty members are to vote for one nominee from their home campus (treating local high schools collectively as one campus), one from their division, one for President-Elect, one for Secretary, and the number of at-large nominees appropriate for this election.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) Faculty members shall cast one vote for each position appearing on their ballot, except that, for the at-large Senate positions, faculty members may vote for up to the number of nominees that there are available at-large positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) The Auditing and Elections Committee shall conduct and complete the election by the third Friday of April and present the results to the President by the fourth Friday of April.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) For Appointed Senators, the Chancellor will review the list of recommended Senators and choose their appointees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      e) The President shall announce the results to the full-time faculty and the Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. To be elected President-Elect or Secretary, one must receive a majority of the votes cast for that position. If no nominee receives a majority of the votes cast, a runoff election shall be held between the two highest vote getters (or among the three in the case of a tie for second). Whoever receives the most votes in a runoff election will be the winner of the election. In the case of a tie in a runoff election, the election will be decided by a coin-toss conducted by the President, verified by at least two other officers and held during a regular Senate meeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      4. To be elected Senator for other than an at-large slot, one must have received the largest number of votes from among the candidates for that position. In the case of a tie, it will be resolved by the same kind of coin-toss described in clause (3) above.<\/span><\/p>\n

      5. The at-large slots will be filled by the top vote-getters down to the number of available slots. In the case of a tie for the last position, it will be resolved by the same kind of coin-toss described in clause (3) above.<\/span><\/p>\n

      6. To ensure that the Senate membership is equitable across constituencies:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) No dean division (counting Library Services and Student Affairs each as a \u201cdean division\u201d for the remainder of this clause) shall have more than four members serving simultaneously as Senators representing campuses.<\/span><\/p>\n

      i.\u00a0 If more than four members of the same dean division receive the most votes as candidates for different campuses, first the campus slots for which there was no opposing candidate will be filled based on the largest number of votes received, and then the campus slots for which there were opposing candidates will be filled based on the largest number of votes, until four slots have been filled.<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) No campus shall have more than four members serving simultaneously as Senators representing dean divisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

      i.\u00a0 If more than four members of the same campus receive the most votes as candidates for different dean divisions, first the dean-division slots for which there was no opposing candidate will be filled based on the largest number of votes received, and then the dean-division slots for which there were opposing candidates will be filled based on the largest number of votes, until three slots have been filled.<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) No dean division or campus shall have more than seven members serving as Senators in any capacity simultaneously.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \u00a0i.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>At-large Senate seats will be filled with members of a given dean division or campus, based on the largest number of votes received, only to the point that total Senate membership from that dean division or campus totals seven Senators.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 2: Special Elections<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>The Senate may vote to hold a special election at any time that there is a position to fill, but will seek to hold no more than one per year and to avoid the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. Any slot to be filled in a special election shall first fill any vacant Area of Study Senator position, and subsequently be treated as an at-large slot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. All of the clauses of Section 1 immediately above apply to special elections, except that all dates shall be set by the Senate (or delegated to the Nominations Committee and\/or the Auditing and Elections Committee).<\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 3: Recall Elections<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. If a recall election is warranted under Article IV, Section 5, the ballot for that election shall state no more than the name of the Senator in question and the statement, \u201cResolved: That this person be removed from the Senate\u201d; and two choices: For Removal and Against Removal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. The Senator is recalled, effective after the approval of the Chancellor, upon the Auditing and Election Committee report of the election result, if a two-thirds majority of the voting full-time faculty represented by that Senator vote \u201cFor Removal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

      Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

      Article VII \u2013 Meetings<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

      Section 1: Regular and Special Meetings<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>The Senate will meet at least seven times during fall and spring semesters, at least two times during the summer, and at special times when:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) Called for by a majority of the Senate Officers,<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) Requested in writing by one-third of the Senators, or<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) Requested in writing by ten percent of full-time faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. Meetings shall be open to all full-time faculty who wish to attend. If a faculty member (who is not a Senator) wants to speak during a meeting, they shall sign up at the beginning of the meeting to speak on any agenda item(s). The time shall be limited to three minutes per individual on an agenda item. The time may be extended for an individual by the majority vote of the Senators present.<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. Meetings will be available for public viewing online, and an agenda, list of any curriculum proposals, and information for joining the meeting will be posted on the Faculty Senate website at least seven days in advance of each meeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 2: Quorum<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      To conduct the business of the Senate, a simple majority of Senators must be present to establish a quorum. Alternates with written authorization are counted in establishing a quorum. The Parliamentarian shall determine whether a quorum is present.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 3: Presiding Over Senate Meetings<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>The President shall preside over Senate meetings unless unavailable.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. If the President is unavailable, the order of priority for which officer shall preside is as follows: President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Treasurer, Communications Officer.<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. Senate meetings shall be conducted in accordance with <\/span>The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure<\/span><\/i> by Alice Sturgis (latest edition).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      4. The presiding officer shall work with the parliamentarian to ensure meetings are conducted properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

      5. The presiding officer shall work to stimulate and encourage discussion, ensure that all sides of a controversial question are presented, and refrain from advancing their own point of view.<\/span><\/p>\n

      6. The presiding officer holds all the rights and responsibilities identified in <\/span>The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure<\/span><\/i> by Alice Sturgis (latest edition).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 4: Order of Business<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>A majority of the Senate officers, including the President (or the President-Elect if the President is incapacitated or unavailable), will prepare the agenda for Senate meetings. The agenda for Senate meetings must be distributed to the full-time faculty at least 72 hours before a Senate meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. An item may be placed on, or added to, the agenda in one of three ways:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) The set of officers preparing the agenda may place any items on the agenda that they think appropriate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) A Senator, any Senate Committee Chairperson, or any member of the full-time faculty may submit an item to the President no later than ten working days before the meeting. If the officers preparing the agenda decide not to place the item on the agenda, the item may still be added to the agenda in accordance with Clause 2c of this Section.<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) A group of three Senators or of ten full-time faculty members may petition the President for the inclusion of an agenda item any time prior to the call to order of a Senate meeting. The item\u2019s inclusion on the agenda shall be subject to a majority vote of the Senate. If the item is added to the agenda, it will automatically be given ten minutes of agenda time, and there will be a ten-minute extension of the total agenda time.<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. Insofar as possible, the President shall attach to the agenda copies of draft policies, resolutions, or other documents to be discussed and possibly acted upon at the meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

      4. At Senate meetings, the adoption of the agenda, after an opportunity for amendments, shall be the first order of business.<\/span><\/p>\n

      5. Time limits for the discussion of agenda items shall be handled as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) The agenda shall include time limits for the discussion of each item.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) At the end of the allotted time, the Senator shall vote on any motion or amendments under consideration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) A Senator may request an extension of time for further discussion of any item, but this extension must be approved by a majority vote of the Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) The total time allowed for the agenda shall not exceed one and one-half hours, except that<\/span><\/p>\n

      i.\u00a0 additional time may be approved by a majority vote of the Senate,<\/span><\/p>\n

      ii.\u00a0 additional time may be added in accordance with Clause 2c of this Section,<\/span><\/p>\n

      iii.\u00a0 additional time shall automatically be added for each agenda item to the extent of three minutes for each faculty member who signed up to speak in accordance with Section 1, Clause 2 of this Article.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

      Article VIII \u2013 Senate Committees<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

      Section 1: Standing Committees<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>Standing Committee Membership:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) All Senate committees will have at least three members. Additionally, the Committee on Faculty Participation, the Nominating Committee and the Salary and Benefits Committee will have representation from at least three different constituencies.<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) Each committee will include at least one Senator.<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) The Chairperson of each committee will be appointed by the President, with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) The term of membership on all standing committees shall be for one year beginning with the fall semester, or, if filling a vacancy, until the end of the current academic year.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. Appointment to Standing Committees:<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) Upon election of the new President-Elect, the Committee on Faculty Participation shall solicit from the full-time faculty the names of faculty members to serve on any of the standing committees of the Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) The Committee on Faculty Participation shall compile the information received and create a list of recommended standing committee members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) The list of recommended standing committee members shall be submitted to the Senate at the first meeting of the new Senate term, and appointments made by a majority vote of the Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) The list of standing committee members appointed shall then be submitted to the entire full-time faculty as soon as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      e) If a vacancy arises in a standing committee after membership is established in accordance with Clause c above, a replacement may be appointed by the President with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      3. Removal from a Standing Committee:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      A member of a standing committee shall be removed from the committee if that member<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) is neither in attendance nor represented by a proper alternate for three meetings during an academic year, or<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) is replaced on the committee by the President with the support of two-thirds of the Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      4. The Standing Committees<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) Committee on Faculty Participation \u2013 Promotes faculty participation in the Senate and in shared governance at ACC. Presents a list of recommended standing committee members to the Senate at the first meeting of the new academic year (in accordance with clause (2) immediately above). Makes recommendations to the President, when solicited, of representatives to serve on shared governance committees of ACC, of members to serve on ad hoc Senate committees, and to fill vacancies on standing Senate committees. The membership of this committee will be set upon the election of the incoming President-Elect for the coming year, with members serving until the next election of a President-Elect. It shall consist of the current President-Elect (the Chairperson), the incoming President-Elect, and three current Senators (representing different constituencies) who have been elected to terms for the coming year as well and are selected by the President-Elect. At the beginning of each new academic year, when the President-Elect becomes President, the new President will leave the committee, the new President-Elect will become the Chairperson, and the committee will continue with four members until a new incoming President-Elect is elected and new continuing Senators are selected as members upon the completion of that year\u2019s regular elections.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

      b)\u00a0<\/strong>Nominating Committee<\/strong> \u2013 Presents a ballot for the regular election and any special elections, within the timelines stated under the article on elections. The ballots shall include at least one nominee for each of the Senate positions and for President-Elect and Secretary. One of the members of the Nominating Committee shall be a current Senator. If a member of the Nominating Committee wishes to run for President-Elect or Secretary, they must resign from the Committee: however, it will not be necessary to resign from the Committee to run for Senator. Upon election as Senator, they must resign from the Committee.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      c) Auditing and Elections Committee<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Audits all Senate documents and financial records before October 15 and at least one additional time to be determined by the Committee each year. Additional special audits may be conducted at any time that a majority of the Auditing and Elections Committee members deem necessary. Conducts all regular, special, and recall elections. Conducts any referenda and elections concerning amendments to bylaws called for by the Senate. Assures that all faculty members get ballots seventy-two hours prior to election deadline. If a member of this committee becomes a nominee for President-Elect or Secretary (i.e. listed on the ballot), they must resign from the Committee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      d) Salary and Benefits Committee\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Studies matters relating to faculty salaries and non-salary employee benefits, brings recommendations to the February Senate meeting about such matters, and (if so directed by the Senate) communicates with appropriate administrators about the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      e) Bylaws Committee<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Considers Bylaws revisions as needed or requested and brings recommendations to the Senate about the same.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      f) Policy and Procedure Committee<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Considers policy and procedures affecting full-time faculty, brings recommendations to the Senate about such matters, and (if so directed by the Senate) communicates with appropriate administrators about the same.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      g) Academic Affairs Committee<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Considers curriculum and instructional matters, brings recommendations to the Senate about such matters, and (if so directed by the Senate) communicates with appropriate administrators.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      h) Facilities Committee<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Considers matters relating to faculty concerns about the condition of the physical facilities of the College and also the long-range planning for future facilities.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 2: Ad Hoc Committees<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      1. <\/span>The Senate President, with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers, may create an ad hoc committee to perform a specific task. An ad hoc committee dissolves either upon completion of its defined task, at the date set at the time of its creation, or at the end of the academic year, whichever comes first, unless its term is extended by the President with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      2. Ad Hoc Committee Membership<\/span><\/p>\n

      a) All ad hoc Senate committees will have at least three members, including at least one Senator.<\/span><\/p>\n

      b) The Chairperson of each committee will be appointed by the President, with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      c) The term of membership on all ad hoc committees shall be for the duration of the life of the committee, unless decided otherwise by the President with the approval of a majority of the other Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      d) A member of an ad hoc committee shall be removed from the committee if that member<\/span><\/p>\n

      i.\u00a0 is neither in attendance nor represented by a proper alternate for three meetings during an academic year, or<\/span><\/p>\n

      ii.\u00a0 is replaced on the committee by the President with the support of two-thirds of the Senate officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Section 3: Quorum for Committee Meetings<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

      A simple majority of the membership of a Senate committee will constitute a quorum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

      Article IX \u2013 Amendments<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

      Proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be presented in writing at a regular meeting of the Senate. Voting by Senators on such proposals cannot be conducted before the next regularly scheduled meeting. If a majority of the Senate present and voting approve the change, the Auditing and Elections Committee will conduct a vote of the full-time faculty before the next Senate meeting. For the amendments to be adopted, two-thirds or more of the faculty members who cast votes must cast votes in favor of adoption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      The Auditing and Elections Committee shall report the results of the vote at the next regular Senate meeting. The President will notify the full-time faculty of the results of the election by email as soon as possible upon the adjournment of that Senate meeting. If the amendments received two-thirds or more of the votes of the faculty members who cast votes, the amendments will go into effect immediately upon the reporting of the voting results to the full-time faculty, unless the amendments specifically state otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Faculty Senate Handbook If you are a senator (or if you are interested in learning more about the Senate and how senators serve), you can take a peek at the current 2023- 2024 Faculty Senate Handbook. Bylaws\u00a0 Contents – Updated August 2025…Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4200,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1385","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1385\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/facultysenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}